LITTER bosses have put the wind up a North teenager after hitting him with a £50 fine for releasing a balloon.

Max Twizell, 16, was spotted by a council worker allowing it out of his hands at a charity event in Old Eldon Square, Newcastle.

The lad has been told to pay a £50 fine or he will be hauled before magistrates.

His furious mum Lorraine said she thinks the decision is petty.

But Newcastle Council said they have a zero-tolerance approach to littering.

Max, of Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland, inflated the helium-filled balloon but let it spiral away without tying the end.

Max said: “I took one of the balloons to do the funny voice.

“I let it go and walked off with some friends but this guy came up and fined me.

“I wasn’t given a chance to find it and pick it up. It’s a bit silly and annoying.”

Lorraine said: “There are far worse examples of littering all around us but to me this seems petty and vindictive.

“Will the council fine every charity that holds a balloon race £50 per balloon?

“How about toddlers in prams who accidently release their helium balloon?

“I want to fight this in court but my son is frightened of getting a criminal record if I lose.”

Stephen Savage, director of regulatory services and public protection, said the council was expected to take firm action.

He said: “We can confirm that we have issued a £50 fine to a teenager for dropping an item of litter in Old Eldon Square.

“He has 28 days to pay and if not may face court action. To some people this may sound harsh but we believe that to create a cleaner, safer city we must send out a clear message that this will not be tolerated.”

He said a survey carried out last year showed 62 per cent of residents wanted to see more enforcement action on environmental issues including littering.

He said: “We believe pursuing action against offences like this sends out an uncompromising message that litter dropping in the city will not be tolerated.

“Since April 1 last year, we have issued 1042 fixed penalty notices for litter.

“We spend £6m every year on Neighbourhood Response teams who spend a disproportionate amount of their time picking up almost 30 tonnes of litter from our streets every day.”